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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22590952">Worry Is Just Another Word For Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanosorcerer/pseuds/nanosorcerer'>nanosorcerer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comfort, Comforting Stephen Strange, Doctor Dad, Family Bonding, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Getting to Know Each Other, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Infinity War AU, Iron Dad, M/M, Parent Stephen Strange, Parent Tony Stark, Peter and Stephen getting used to each other, Spider Son &amp; Doctor Dad, Stephen and Tony just started dating, Stephen learns how to dad, Supreme Family, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange Parenting Peter Parker | Supremefamily | Strange Family, growing family bond, spider son</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:42:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,607</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22590952</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanosorcerer/pseuds/nanosorcerer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter hurts himself, his advanced healing isn't working, and to make things worse, Tony is away on a business trip. Thankfully, a current sorcerer and former doctor is around to try his hand at being an Iron Dad substitute.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Parker &amp; Stephen Strange, Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark, Tony Stark &amp; Stephen Strange &amp; Peter Parker, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>691</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Worry Is Just Another Word For Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Stephen acquires a key dad skill: Falling asleep while sitting on the couch.</p><p>Comments give me life, please leave them if you enjoy this story! &lt;3&lt;3&lt;3 </p><p>(I wrote this to give myself a quick mental break from "I Knew You For A Day", which has been really emotionally heavy lately. Also, this fic basically has the same premise as "Hearing Everything", just slightly to the left. I'm a sucker for Stephen and Peter getting to know each other, especially when Peter needs comfort and Tony isn't around.)</p><p>Stephen's like, "I don't know how to provide emotional comfort for this situation, but I will try my best to help without being too awkward."</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stepping into the Sanctum’s second floor kitchen, Peter ditched his backpack on a barstool, along with his coat as he tried his hardest to ignore the burning pain running up his left thigh from his knee. He froze as he noticed Stephen in the living room, cross-legged in a meditative pose on the Persian rug while Levi remained on guard, hovering in the corner of the room. Stephen’s eyes had remained closed, so Peter still had hopes that the sorcerer hadn’t noticed him come in. He had re-aggravated his knee injury today during an impromptu soccer game with Ned and MJ, and hoped to avoid a discussion about it as soon as he got home. Considering how Tony tended to react whenever he got seriously injured, Peter decided he’d rather avoid stressing his dad any further than he was due to work, so made sure that Tony hadn’t see him favouring his knee in the past couple weeks. Unfortunately, this also meant trying to hide the injury from the Sorcerer Supreme.  </p><p>“You’re limping”, Stephen said suddenly, a slight accusatory edge to his tone as Peter whipped around to face him. There was no indication of life from the statue-like figure on the rug, and Peter wondered if he had even opened his eyes. He couldn’t even see whether he was breathing or not.</p><p>“No, I’m not”, Peter said quickly, shifting his weight from his injured leg and leaning against the kitchen island. His knee muscles protested by contracting suddenly, the tight stab of pain making Peter gasp silently. </p><p>“Yes, you are”, the sorcerer replied calmly, still as a stone. He opened one eye a crack, like a large, sleepy cat disturbed from its nap. “It’s severe enough that I can hear the difference in your gait.” He opened his other eye, but remained still otherwise. “What happened, Peter?” The teen was inclined to lie, trapped as he was since he couldn’t make a run for his room without blatantly exposing his very noticeable limp. Physically unable to lie under Stephen’s direct gaze, who looked even more intimidating in his full sorcerer’s garb, Peter relented.</p><p>“I just pulled something, I dunno. It’s no big deal”, he tried casually, side-stepping towards the fridge to hide his limp, in hopes that he would be able to avoid this conversation by snatching a carton of chocolate milk and retreating to his room. His knee betrayed him by buckling under the awkward motion, leaving Peter to cling to the counter as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard.</p><p>“That doesn’t answer my question, spiderling”, Stephen chided patiently, unfolding himself from the floor in one fluid movement, though he seemed stiffer than usual upon standing. “What happened?” Peter prolonged his own answer by pouring a glass of chocolate milk and taking a large gulp, the cool sweetness coating his tongue pleasantly. He leaned against the counter again, trying to hide that he was standing on one leg as Stephen walked over into the kitchen to stand at the end of the island. </p><p>“C’mon, Peter”, the sorcerer tried again. “I won’t get upset and I won’t tell Tony. Just let me help. Please?” They both knew how stressed Tony got about even the smallest scratch on his kid, despite the teen’s advanced healing factor, which was the exact reason why Peter didn’t want knowledge of his injury out in the open. It hadn’t been much of a problem until MJ had found an abandoned soccer ball on the school grounds, putting Peter back at square one after nearly two weeks of normal-paced healing. He didn’t want to worry Tony, didn’t want to be a burden just because his healing factor was experiencing a fluke. Peter held eye contact with the sorcerer for as long as he could, his shoulders slumping a little as he relented. </p><p>“Okay. I landed on my leg funny during patrol two weeks ago, but it didn’t hurt that much and I thought my healing would take care of it.” He fidgeted with the edge of his Stark Industries sweatshirt, not able to meet the sorcerer’s piercing gaze any longer. </p><p>“But it didn’t”, Stephen concluded more than asked, one hand drifting to frame his chin as he eyed the teen’s stance. </p><p>“No”, Peter admitted grimly. “It’s gotten worse while I’ve been walking on it and…” He faltered, continuing at a raised brow from the sorcerer. “I think I might have re-agitated it kicking a soccer ball around with my friends to day.” His eyes met the floor. “Also maybe when I was training with Dad on Monday.” There was no response from the man and Peter made himself look up, surprised to see the sorcerer’s eyes had softened, his head tilted slightly in sympathy. </p><p>“You’re not mad?”</p><p>“Oh, Peter”, Stephen muttered, voice tinted with exasperated affection, a large, scarred hand grazing the teen’s shoulder gently. “Go sit on the couch, I’ll be right back”, he directed, giving the teen a soft shove in that direction. Peter raised a cautious brow, but limped into the living room regardless, letting himself favour the leg fully now that there was no point in putting on a show. He settled himself on the sofa as gently as possible, careful not to jostle his leg as he watched Stephen disappear down the hall towards the bathroom. Levi had come over as soon as Peter sat on the sofa, fretting like a worried grandmother as they seemed to instinctively know where Peter was hurt, soft fabric wrapped around his injured knee. Giving the cloak a soothing pat, Peter heard Stephen rustling around in the bathroom cupboards before reappearing with the all too familiar first aid kit in hand, one of five kits scattered around the Sanctum. </p><p>“Scooch over”, Stephen said easily as he reached the sofa, directing Peter to the other end of it as he sat down. The sorcerer began to take his arm wraps off, only increasing the confusion Peter felt about the whole situation. He turned instead to survey the lotion and roll of bandage Stephen had brought along with the first aid kit. The pieces clicked together as he watched the sorcerer roll up the sleeves of his blue robes. He recognized the supplies Tony always used to help him with pulled muscles, even if his advanced healing factor usually took care of most injuries within hours.</p><p>“Can I have your leg?”, Stephen asked, moving closer to Peter on the sofa so he was facing him, dissolving the tense vulnerability of the moment to unzip the first aid kit with one hand, digging around in it. He looked up when Peter didn’t move, meeting the teen’s big eyes with an open, gentle look. “It’s okay, trust me”, he soothed.</p><p>“I do”, Peter replied, almost offended, quickly offering up his leg to the sorcerer’s lap while Levi still protected his damaged knee, his sweatpants and socked foot draped over the rich blue robes. It felt disrespectful and awkward, but he relaxed when the sorcerer didn’t react negatively. </p><p>“It’s the side of your knee that’s in pain, correct?”, Stephen asked, drawing on his quick observations from the kitchen. </p><p>“Yep”, Peter responded quickly, watching him pull several heat packs out of the first aid kit, the result of digging through the jumble of supplies. “So…what are you gonna do, exactly?” Stephen clicked his tongue at himself, looking up to give Peter an apologetic grin.</p><p>“Sorry, I’ve always had deplorable bedside manner. From your gait and what you told me, it seems you pulled the muscle and ligament on the outside of your knee. The iliotibial band and your lateral collateral ligament. Right there.” He pointed with one shaking finger, gesturing along Peter’s leg exactly where he could feel the pain. “If you’re alright with it, I should be able to loosen it up, work on it, and then tape it up if you want.” Peter nodded in response.</p><p>“That would be great. Thank you.”</p><p>The sorcerer’s only response was to shake his head, seemingly embarrassed at the acknowledgement. </p><p>Peter had endured plenty of injuries over the years which had increased tenfold since the bite and becoming Spider-Man, though his enhanced healing took care of most of it. For more serious injuries, Tony had always been the one to take him to the med bay or the hospital if it was closer, though a lot of his day-to-day injuries could be taken care of at home. And Tony would be there to stitch his wounds, tape what needed taping, packing ice and and heat pads on bruises and pulled muscles, even giving massages which were unnecessary, but appreciated. But Tony was away on a three day trip to Hong Kong, using Stephen’s connection with the country’s Sanctum to build a base for expanding the Iron Legion. It was the first time Stephen and Peter had been left together for any length of time, still trying to balance each other’s comfort levels in their new relationship. Despite this, Tony wouldn’t be home until tomorrow morning, so Peter was more than grateful for the sorcerer’s company and care. </p><p>“Pant leg up”, Stephen said abruptly, doctor mode fully initiated as he made sure his own sleeves would stay rolled up. Peter could easily envision him directing technicians and assistants in an operating room back in the day. He handed Peter two of the heat packs. “Shake these. Put one under your knee and the other just above the kneecap. Get out of the way, you”, he added, shooing Levi out of the way. “You’re not helping, you’re just impeding the entire process”, Stephen scolded gently, ignoring the annoyed swat the cloak gave him before they resigned to sulk on the back of the sofa and keep guard.  </p><p>Peter had followed the sorcerer’s directions, rolling his sweatpants up on his left leg to his mid thigh and then placing the heat packs where he had been told to. The warmth was welcome, flowing through his tight muscles in a wave of relief and numbing the twinging ache present on the side of his knee. Stephen passed a familiar steadying spell over his own hands, Peter watching him with a critical eye as the sorcerer rubbed lotion between his hands to warm it.</p><p>“It’s not gonna hurt your hands?” Peter could feel his own brow pinched in concern as Stephen offered a reassuring grin.</p><p>“No. It’ll be fine”, he lied easily. “Take the heat packs off”, he added, moving so his hands were hovering over Peter’s knee, a brow raised as a way of asking permission. The teen nodded, stifling a small sigh at the gentle contact on his sore leg muscles. Stephen started out tentatively, large fingers moving slowly as he worked on the muscles running down the side of Peter’s knee. Peter sucked a breath in between his teeth, not realizing how tight the muscles and ligaments were until the sorcerer had begun his gentle ministrations. </p><p>“Relax your leg”, Stephen reminded in his patient, measured doctor’s voice. “You’re causing the muscles to tense up even more.” Peter almost sheepishly forced his leg to relax, not realizing how nervous he was. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the sorcerer, more like he felt guilty about him doing this for him at all. He was sure Stephen had better things to do, he’d interrupted his meditation after all, and worry about the constant pain in his hands had caused Peter to tense up involuntarily. Shoving his worries aside, he let his entire leg relax as well as he could, melting like putty under the soft massage. Expert, deft hands moved over Peter’s knee, pushing and drawing on the tense tendons and muscles all around the joint. Peter watched with interest, the sorcerer’s long, careful fingers working over each muscle slowly. The warm, relaxed feeling from the heat packs and Stephen’s hands flowed into the rest of Peter’s body as he leaned back against the sofa cushions, feeling tension in his chest and shoulders dissipate as well, though he hadn’t realized that he’d been carrying it. Stephen’s precise fingers, no longer shaking thanks to the steadying spell, moved efficiently and surely as if he had done this thousands of times, any awkwardness dissolving as he focused and worked quietly.</p><p>“You have piano fingers”, Peter observed, breaking the silence, pleased with the small grin this prompted from the sorcerer.</p><p>“Surgeon’s fingers”, Stephen corrected jokingly.</p><p>“But do you know piano?”</p><p>“I used to play”, Stephen said quietly and nothing more needed to be said. </p><p>Peter didn’t push it any further. He used to think Stephen was showing off whenever he levitated things around the Sanctum, but quickly came to realize the habit came out of necessity. Menial, everyday tasks were made extremely difficult and painful because of the nerve damage and the pins in his hands. Peter had seen Tony have to help him countless times with small things like opening a jar of olives, moving a heavy potful of water from sink to stovetop, or even just pouring the kettle when he didn’t have the energy to do so magically. And that was just in the kitchen, the area where they spent most of their time together as a family besides the living room. A spike of guilt probed Peter’s chest as he watched Stephen work, knowing that using his hands like this would undoubtedly lead to even more tremors and aching pain than usual. </p><p>“Why didn’t you tell either of us that you were injured?”, Stephen asked suddenly, drawing Peter out of his thoughts. “Especially since it wasn’t healing normally.”</p><p>“I didn’t want to bug you guys”, Peter muttered into the pillow he was hugging to his chest. “Especially Dad. And it wasn’t that bad, really. Not until I played soccer like an idiot, I guess.” </p><p>“You’re never a bother”, Stephen assured quickly, looking up to meet his eyes. “Your Dad and I want to know when you need help, okay?” Peter nodded quietly. He hated feeling like he was being self-centred or needy. Stephen didn’t notice his trepidation as he had begun to dig deeper into the muscle, pressing his fingertips harder into the flesh beside Peter’s kneecap. The teen winced, but he could feel that the former neurosurgeon knew what he was doing. He could feel him working and prodding at each individual muscle that he could reach, making contact with different muscles as easily as if he were pointing them out on an anatomy chart, kneading them into gentle submission. </p><p>“Like I said”, Peter defended himself. “I thought my healing factor would take care of it. It should have, anyway.” He was affronted by the look Stephen gave him, caught between chiding and loving. </p><p>“You also said it’s been getting worse over the course of the past two weeks, hmm?” He softened his touch and began drawing his fingers down either side of Peter’s knee in tandem. “I don’t care how little an injury is, even if your advanced healing will fix it quickly. I want to know about it, okay?”</p><p>“Okay, Doctor Dad”, Peter smiled teasingly. Stephen returned his grin before focusing on a tight spot right above Peter’s knee. </p><p>“You’re never a bother” the sorcerer muttered, repeating his words more to himself than Peter, but something about his tone made the teen’s heart jolt. “And your dad only freaks out when you get injured because he loves you so much. He worries about you.” There were several beats of silence before Peter spoke.</p><p>“Do you worry about me?”, Peter asked quietly, too vulnerable, asking more than he was actually saying. He suddenly felt the need to hide as he still hugged the throw pillow to his chest, and turned his head in embarrassment to stare at the sofa cushions. He felt Stephen still, hands freezing, and he could feel his gaze piercing his cheek.</p><p>“Of course”, he replied softly, and Peter turned to meet galaxy-colored eyes looking at him almost tenderly. Stephen pulled his hands away from the teen’s leg, wiping the excess lotion off Peter’s knee and his hands with the towel he had brought from the bathroom. “But I also know that you’re very strong and capable, so I try to leave most of the freaking out to your dad.”</p><p>They shared a grin as Stephen dug for tape in the first aid kid, pulling out two strips of different lengths. He measured them quickly along Peter’s leg before doing another once over with the towel.</p><p>“Pull your pant leg up further for me?”, Stephen directed, taking the longer strip of tape and holding it so it ran lengthwise on the outside of Peter’s thigh, knee to hip.</p><p>“It needs to go up that high?”, Peter asked, pulling his pant leg up as far as he could. </p><p>“Preferably. Your IT band runs from your hip to the top of your shin, so this tends to be the best way to keep it steady. I don’t know how tight you like it…”, he faltered, continuing at the teen’s noncommittal shrug. He pulled a portion of the backing off the longer piece of tape, placing it just below the teen’s hip joint and adhering the tape to his skin with one gentle hand, making sure it ran down in a straight line. “Make sure that’s on properly”, he said to Peter, pointing to the tape he had just applied as he tore the paper backing off the shorter piece of tape. Peter appreciated the sorcerer’s attempt to limit skin-to-skin contact, though a bit futile at this point, and he had no problem with the doctor’s gentle touch, completely trusting and comfortable under his care. Stephen repeated the action with the hand-length piece of tape, placing it horizontally just above the side of Peter’s knee, smoothing it once over with his hand. </p><p>“How does that feel?” Peter flexed his knee slightly, careful not to undo all the relaxant techniques just applied to his strained muscles.</p><p>“The tape feels good, not too tight”, he replied, familiar with this sort of routine with Tony, checking that the tape would do its job without restricting blood flow. He’d never admit it to either of them, but the way Stephen applied the tape so it flowed with the muscle’s natural movement was superior even to Tony’s careful technique. He considered that it was an unfair comparison, given that one man had his M.D. while the other was more accustomed to working with machines. </p><p>“And thanks for the massage”, he added, a little embarrassed. Never in a million years would he have asked for a muscle massage, especially not from Stephen, but the result was pure bliss. “It doesn’t even feel like there’s anything wrong with it.” Stephen nodded, satisfied, and turned to pack up the first aid kit.</p><p>“That’s good. You should still stay off it for the night.” He turned back to give Peter a meaningful look. “At the very least.” </p><p>*****</p><p>Peter griped a little, but agreed to cancel his plans with Ned to check out new Lego sets at the mall. He could practically hear his best friend’s teasing grin over the phone as he told him why they would need to move their window shopping to another day.</p><p>“Man, I thought Tony was protective. Who would have thought the wizard would be even worse? Protecting little spider baby.”</p><p>“Shut up”, Peter retorted, his voice choosing that inopportune moment to crack.</p><p>“I’m kidding, man”, Ned assured. “You’ve got, like, the coolest dads ever.” The statement hit Peter square in the chest as he watched Stephen puttering over a pot of tea in the kitchen. He hadn’t yet thought of the sorcerer as one of his ‘dads’, but he could definitely get used to the idea. He let the warm feeling settle in his chest as he laughed a little.</p><p>“Yeah, but you haven’t seen them in the morning with bedhead. There is nothing cool about Tony at 6 am. Especially before his coffee.” Ned snorted.</p><p>“Yeah, I have seen that. Remember that one sleepover? He looked like a zombie or something.” Peter laughed loudly, earning a slightly surprised look from Stephen.</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right about that.”</p><p>“Doctor Strange, though?”, Ned continued. “I can’t picture him having a single hair out of place.” Peter snickered again.</p><p>“The Doc’s a better morning person than Dad, but that doesn’t make him exempt from bedhead.” Peter noticed said sorcerer walking towards him from the kitchen, armed with a stack of take-out menus. “Ned, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”</p><p>“Byyyyee, Petey-pie”, Ned teased. “Don’t forget about that algebra quiz.”</p><p>“Yeah, I won’t. Goodnight, Nedward.” Peter hung up to find Stephen standing over him, an amused smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. </p><p>“You talking about me?”, the sorcerer purred smoothly as he deposited the stack of take-out menus on the boy’s chest.</p><p>“No, ‘course not”, Peter said innocently, flicking through the menus. “What’s all this? The inevitable resignation to admitting that cooking from scratch every night is ridiculous?” Stephen shrugged as he sat on the opposite end of the sofa with his cup of tea.</p><p>“As much as I keel haul your dad about getting take-out all the time, I am not in the mood to cook.” Peter smiled as he perused the Chinese menu.</p><p>“What he doesn’t know won’t make you a hypocrite”, he said wisely, earning a chuckle from the sorcerer.</p><p>“Quite right. Not Chinese, though”, he said, catching sight of the menu Peter was glancing through. “We ate enough Chinese food last week to…well, feed half of China.”</p><p>“Oh, come on.” Peter sighed. “Fine. Do you have any better suggestions, then?”</p><p>“I’m in the mood for chicken pad thai, honestly”, the sorcerer said, sipping his tea. </p><p>“I’ve never had it”, Peter commented, searching for the menu from the good Thai place. “Top Thai or Rasa?”</p><p>“Rasa. Top Thai puts too much salt in everything. But you don’t have to get Thai if you don’t want to.”</p><p>“It’s all good”, Peter assured. “I’ve never had pad thai.” He glanced up at the sorcerer. “‘Can I get an order of larb, too? It’s what I used to get with May.”</p><p>“Get whatever you’d like”, Stephen said, rising from the couch, cup of tea in hand as he muttered under his breath. “Never had pad thai…what’s your father been teaching you?” Peter laughed as he dialled the restaurant’s number on his phone.</p><p>“That two people can live entirely on Chinese food for up to two weeks if you get enough variety.”</p><p>“For the love of the Vishanti”, Stephen muttered in exasperation, prompting a laugh from Peter as he walked down the hall to his and Tony’s bedroom, likely to get changed out of his robes. Of course, he could have changed clothes with a snap of his fingers, but Peter supposed there was somewhat of a comfortable familiarity in getting dressed the old-fashioned way. </p><p>Peter ordered their food, slipping in an order of spring rolls that he hoped Stephen wouldn’t mind, then got distracted by his Instagram feed. A short while later, his head snapped up again as he heard Stephen coming back down the hall, looking much more like a normal human in dark wash jeans and a knit cardigan.</p><p>“They said pickup would be in twenty minutes, but that was like…”Peter glanced at his phone, “Fifteen minutes ago, so…” Stephen nodded.</p><p>“I’ll head over. You ordered everything you wanted?”</p><p>“Yeah. I got spring rolls too, is that okay?”, Peter asked, suddenly feeling guilty, but Stephen didn’t notice.</p><p>“Of course”, the sorcerer said, casting a wary eye on the cloak hovering anxiously behind him. “Levi, no. I don’t need you to pick up take-out, alright? That’s a little over kill.” When the cloak didn’t budge, Stephen rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Stay here with Peter, I mean it. Your job is to protect him.”</p><p>“Oh, no. I’m so helpless”, Peter flailed for embellishment, though the cloak only seemed confused, if a piece of fabric could look confused, that is. “Doc, before you leave, can you sauce me my algebra textbook, please?” This time, Peter got an eye roll of his own as the sorcerer levitated his backpack over to him from the kitchen barstool he’d dumped it on earlier.</p><p>“By Oshtur, you’re never going to catch me ‘saucing’ anything, just so we’re clear.”</p><p>“Got it. Bye”, Peter said, watching as the sorcerer opened a large gateway and stepped through it with a small wave over his shoulder. The teen didn’t know who Oshtur was, but he figured he shouldn’t, given that he wasn’t a fan of saucing.</p><p>“Don’t worry, buddy. We’re both stuck here”, he told the cloak as he pulled out his algebra textbook. Levi’s only response was to shake their collar in frustration before swooping behind the teen to settle on his shoulders broodingly. “That’s it. Don’t worry, he’ll be right back.”<br/>
Peter spent the next half hour glancing over textbook pages that he didn’t need to study because he already knew the content by heart, so he elected to playing a game on his phone instead. The weight of Levi on his shoulders was comforting as he settled back into the couch cushions, the fabric heavy, warm, and infused with a scent that was particular to the sorcerer. Tea leaves, incense, and if magic had a scent, then that’s what the cloak smelled like as well. Peter was jolted out of his sleepy stupor as a spark of crackling gold slowly grew into a ring, widening to show the busy New York street on the other side as Stephen stepped through quickly, armed with a bag full of take-out boxes. Levi immediately shot off of Peter’s shoulders to clutch onto the sorcerer’s instead, patting fussily at his cheeks while Stephen swatted them away good-naturedly. </p><p>“Get off me, you.” He looked to Peter as he grabbed plates from the cupboard. “Sorry that took forever. The line was abysmally long and pedestrians seem to be unaccustomed to the concept of not bumping into one another continuously.” Peter couldn’t help but laugh at the sorcerer’s annoyed frown.</p><p>“You know most people picking up their take-out have to deal with traffic too, right?” Stephen raised a brow as he brought the plates and food over, sitting down on the other end of the couch.</p><p>“What good fortune that your food is delivered via Sorcerer Supreme then, hmm?”</p><p>Again, a small stab of guilt. Peter was always swimming in mixed emotions whenever someone took care of him, or did anything for him, because it always made him feel as though he owed them something in return, or might have inconvenienced them at the least. He could tell the sorcerer was joking though, by the twinkle in his green-silver eyes. Levi reclaimed their proper place and fussed over Stephen more, who prompted Peter to choose something to watch on Netflix while they ate. The teen raised a surprised brow at this suggestion; the sorcerer usually avoided technology as much as possible, prompting Tony and Peter to do the same, though he knew they were both lost causes. Regardless, he happily flicked through the selection of tv shows as Stephen took the takeout boxes out of the bag, laying them out on the coffee table. Last out of the bag was a single bottle of ginger ale, and Peter felt something odd flicker in his chest as Stephen silently placed it in front of him. The fact alone that the sorcerer had remembered his favourite drink and elected to buy it for him, despite his own trepidations about the health of carbonated drinks, was enough to ignite a spark of affectionate gratitude. </p><p>“Thank you”, Peter said, offering the sorcerer a smile. Stephen just shrugged as he piled some pad thai onto two plates.</p><p>“We were out”, he offered simply as means of explanation, meaning that the supply in the fridge that Stephen kept in the Sanctum for Peter specifically had depleted, but the warm feeling didn’t leave Peter’s chest. He took the plate of pad thai that Stephen proffered, leaning over the coffee table to spoon larb and several spring rolls onto his plate as well. He watched as Stephen opened a small gateway to the kitchen, pulling a pair of decorated wood chopsticks from it, refusing to use the plastic cutlery provided in the takeout bag. Peter finally settled on a show and they both sat back on the sofa, plates held on their laps as they started to eat, too hungry to be concerned about holding much conversation. Peter voiced his approval of his first taste of pad thai, specifically the extra peanut sauce that Stephen had requested, and the sorcerer seemed pleased at the teen’s appreciation for his favourite food. </p><p>About an hour later, full of food and exhausted from the day, Peter found himself having trouble focusing on the tv show. He had laid out on his side on the couch, careful to leave Stephen enough space and not accidentally touch him with his feet. The teen was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes from drifting shut, arms wrapped around one of the throw pillows with his cheek shoved against it. The sorcerer, half-dozing himself, took the cue and dimmed the lights with a snap of his fingers. Levi had laid themselves over Peter the moment he became horizontal, covering the teen in thick, red fabric, the underside of the cloak soft and silky on his bare forearms. Groggy with food and warmth, Peter adjusted his position on the couch, finding a  comfortable crevice amongst all the cushions and finally allowed himself to close his eyes. </p><p>*****</p><p>Peter opened his eyes suddenly to a dark room, the glow of the tv dim as Netflix asked if they were still there. Peter look over his shoulder, Levi shifting at the movement, to see Stephen asleep on the other end of the sofa. His head was leaning back on the sofa cushions, arms crossed loosely and Peter realized mildly that it was the most relaxed he’d ever seen the sorcerer. A glance at his phone told him it was just past 1:00 am. The noise which had startled Peter into waking repeated itself and he recognized it as the front door closing. Fighting drowsiness, he focused on the sound of footsteps coming up from the main floor of the Sanctum, relaxing immediately as he recognized Tony’s gait. Heart thudding in relief, his sensitive eyes picked up the outline of the man as he reached the top of the stairs and surveyed the dark room before walking into the living room. Even without his enhanced vision, Peter would have been able to make out his dad’s vested figure in the dark, the sleeves and collar of his white dress shirt stark against the black of the room. </p><p>“Dad”, Peter whispered sleepily to let Tony know he was awake, aware that the man wouldn’t be able to see him properly in the dark. Tony made his way over in front of the couch, dodging the coffee table still full of take-out containers.</p><p>“Hey, you”, Tony whispered back. “Did I wake you up?” Peter’s only response was to raise his arms up to his dad, encircling them around his neck as Tony stooped down, hugging the boy as best he could in his laying position. Stubble prickled his skin as Peter received gentle cheek kisses, burying his face in Tony’s neck, the scent of coffee and his cologne engulfing his senses and calming him. </p><p>“I thought you weren’t supposed to be home till tomorrow”, Peter muttered as they released each other from their hug, moving over so Tony could sit on the edge of the sofa. </p><p>“A meeting was cancelled, so there was no need to spend the night away. I wanted to get home to my boys”, Tony explained in hushed tones, looking over his shoulder at Stephen who had begun to snore gently. “You wore him out, he’s out like a light.”  Peter giggled sleepily, turning his face into his pillow. </p><p>“We just watched tv. And ate food. A lot of food.” He decided not to mention his injured knee, though he would be sure to subtly praise Stephen’s help tomorrow. No need to cause his dad anxiety right before bed. Tony nodded, smiling.</p><p>“Hmm, must be a food coma, then. I’m gonna get changed out of these fancy clothes.” He stood quietly, but not before dropping another kiss on to Peter’s forehead. “There enough room on that sofa for me?”</p><p>“Mmhmm.” Peter nodded sleepily, pulling Levi around his shoulders again as Tony disappeared down the hall to his and Stephen’s bedroom. He returned within a few moments, having changed into one of his ACDC t shirts and flannel pyjama bottoms, dragging a fleece blanket from the bed. He threw the blanket over Peter and pulled the afghan from the back of the sofa, laying it over Stephen and gently tucking it around him. The sorcerer stirred slightly as Tony kissed his cheek tenderly, but didn’t wake, instead relaxing again under his boyfriend’s touch. Peter moved back towards the cushions as Tony lowered onto the sofa beside him, the seat deep enough that they both had plenty of room. Levi wrapped around them protectively as Tony arranged the blanket over them both and collected his kid in his arms, Peter tucking his head into the space under his chin. Peter revelled in the safety he always felt in Tony's arms, falling back asleep with seconds as he listened to the steady beat of his dad's heart.</p>
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